Word List 44

Question 1

helm

Answer 1

the entire apparatus for steering a ship
a position of control; head
steer
direct, control

e.g. a new dean at the helm of the medical school
The director has helmed many action movies.

Question 2

helot

Answer 2

serf, slave

Question 3

helve

Answer 3

a handle of a tool or weapon; haft

e.g. The head of the ax was crudely lashed to a wooden helve.

Question 4

henpeck

Answer 4

to subject (one’s husband) to persistent nagging and domination

e.g. Neighbors say she henpecked him into giving up golf and selling his clubs.

Question 5

herald

Answer 5

an official messenger in the past
one that precedes or foreshadows
to give notice of; announce
to greet especially with enthusiasm; hail

e.g. The early flowers are heralds of spring.
Rain heralds the arrival of spring.
doctors heralding a new drug

Question 6

heyday

Answer 6

the period of one’s greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity

e.g. In its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America.

Question 7

hilt

Answer 7

a handle especially of a sword or dagger
(to the hilt: completely)

e.g. play the role to the hilt

Question 8

hinterland

Answer 8

a region lying inland from a coast
a region remote from urban areas

e.g. The colonies hugged the coastline, while the hinterland remained largely unexplored.

Question 9

hobble

Answer 9

to limp along
fetter; hamper, impede

e.g. hobble across the room
hobbled by self-doubt

Question 10

holocaust

Answer 10

a thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life
a mass slaughter of people; especially, genocide

e.g. a nuclear holocaust

Question 11

holograph

Answer 11

a document wholly in the handwriting of its author; also, the handwriting itself

Question 12

homely

Answer 12

suggestive or characteristic of a home
unaffectedly natural; simple
not elaborate or complex
plain or unattractive in appearance

e.g. the homely appeal of farm life
a homely face

Question 13

homily

Answer 13

a usually short sermon
a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme
an inspirational catchphrase; also, platitude

e.g. a brief homily on forgiveness

Question 14

horology

Answer 14

the science of measuring time

the art of making instruments for indicating time

Question 15

howler

Answer 15

one that howls

a humorous and ridiculous blunder

Question 16

hubbub

Answer 16

noise, uproar
confusion, turmoil

e.g. go to the country to escape the hubbub of the city
all the hubbub surrounding the film star

Question 17

idolatry

Answer 17

the worship of a physical object as a god
immoderate attachment or devotion to something

e.g. Her idolatry of her favorite rock star is one step removed from stalking.

Question 18

illiberal

Answer 18

not requiring the background of a liberal arts education
not broad-minded; bigoted
opposed to liberalism

e.g. an illiberal society that viewed any artistic depiction of the nude as inherent indecent

Question 19

illustrious

Answer 19

notably or brilliantly outstanding because of dignity or achievement or actions; eminent

e.g. an illustrious military career
an illustrious physicist who is a sure bet for a Nobel

Question 20

imprecate

Answer 20

to invoke evil on; curse

e.g. With her dying breath the witch imprecated the villagers for their relentless persecution of her.

Question 21

imputation

Answer 21

attribution, ascription
accusation
insinuation

e.g. deny any imputation of unfairness

Question 22

impute

Answer 22

to lay the responsibility or blame for often falsely or unjustly
to credit to a person or a cause; attribute

e.g. People often impute his silence to unfriendliness and not to the shyness it really represents.

Question 23

incrustation

Answer 23

a crust or hard coating

a growth or accumulation

Question 24

indite

Answer 24

make up, compose
to put down in writing

e.g. indite a poem/message

Question 25

inexpedient

Answer 25

not expedient; inadvisable e.g. a nutritionally dubious, inexpedient method for losing weight

Question 26

inexpiable

Answer 26

not capable of being atoned for e.g. Apparently, the gubernatorial candidate is guilty of the inexpiable sin of speaking out too openly and honestly about the state's financial woes.

Question 27

infatuate

Answer 27

to cause to be foolish; deprive of sound judgement | to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration

Question 28

ingress

Answer 28

entrance the power or liberty of entrance or access e.g. a seal preventing ingress of moisture an area with restricted ingress

Question 29

insolation

Answer 29

exposure to the sun's rays sunstroke solar radiation that has been received

Question 30

insouciance

Answer 30

lighthearted unconcern; nonchalance e.g. wandered into the meeting with complete insouciance to the fact the she was late

Question 31

insuperable

Answer 31

incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved e.g. insuperable financial difficulties

Question 32

interlocutor

Answer 32

one who takes part in dialogue or conversation

Question 33

interlope

Answer 33

to encroach on the rights (as in trade) of others intrude, interfere e.g. regarded the new couple as a pair of interloping parvenus who were sure to upset the town's social hierarchy

Question 34

interstice

Answer 34

a space that intervenes between things a gap or break in something generally continuous a short space of time between events e.g. interstices of a wall passages of genuine literary merit in the interstices of the ludicrous plots There's occasional interstice in the tedium, but most of the novel is boring.

Question 35

intestate

Answer 35

having made no valid will not disposed of by will e.g. died intestate an intestate estate

Question 36

intumescence

Answer 36

a swollen or enlarged part of a plant or animal; also, the process of swelling up or enlarging

Question 37

investiture

Answer 37

the act of establishing in office or ratifying something that covers or adorns e.g. the investiture of a new member of parliament

Question 38

invigilate

Answer 38

to keep watch; especially, to supervise students at an examination supervise, monitor

Question 39

irradiate

Answer 39

illuminate; enlighten to emit like rays of light; radiate e.g. food irradiated to kill any germs irradiating strength and comfort

Question 40

jamboree

Answer 40

a noisy or unrestrained carouse

Question 41

juncture

Answer 41

joint, connection a point of time; especially, one made critical by a concurrence of circumstances e.g. Negotiations between the countries reached a critical juncture.

Question 42

jurisprudence

Answer 42

the study of law

Question 43

lackey

Answer 43

footman, servant a servile follower; toady e.g. He was nothing but a spineless lackey of the establishment.

Question 44

laggard

Answer 44

lagging or tending to lag; dilatory e.g. I hate being stuck behind laggard motorists on the freeway.

Question 45

lapidary

Answer 45

a cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones usually other than diamonds having the elegance and precision associated with lapidary e.g. a stanza with a lapidary dignity

Question 46

leeward

Answer 46

the side that is sheltered from the wind | being in or facing the direction toward which the wind is blowing; also, being the side opposite the windward

Question 47

lesion

Answer 47

injury, harm | an abnormal change in structure of an organ or part due to injury or disease

Question 48

lexical

Answer 48

of or relating to words or the vocabulary of a language as distinguished from its grammar and construction of or relating to a lexicon or to lexicography e.g. lexical information - what a word means

Question 49

libido

Answer 49

sexual drive

Question 50

licit

Answer 50

conforming to the requirements of the law; permissible e.g. Law enforcement agencies are demanding stricter regulation of the sale of licit medications that can later be used to in the home manufacture of illicit drugs.

Question 51

ligature

Answer 51

something that is used to bind; specifically, a filament used in surgery e.g. a ligature around the tube to keep it in place A common language is often the ligature that unites the people of a nation.

Question 52

limbo

Answer 52

a place or state of restraint or confinement a place or state of neglect or oblivion an intermediate or transition place or state e.g. proposals kept in limbo

Question 53

lineament

Answer 53

an outline, feature, or contour of a body or figure and especially of a face (oft. pl.) a distinguishing or characteristic feature (oft. pl.) e.g. His fine lineaments made him the very image of his father. the lineaments of sincere repentance

Question 54

littoral

Answer 54

of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea e.g. Littoral warfares includes amphibious landings.

Question 55

loam

Answer 55

a type of soil good for growing plants

Question 56

logjam

Answer 56

deadlock, impasse blockage jam, crowd e.g. try to break the logjam in the negotiations The presence of an ambulance on the side of the highway created a logjam of rubbernecks who just had to have to a look.

Question 57

lore

Answer 57

knowledge gained through study or experience | traditional knowledge or belief

Question 58

lout

Answer 58

an awkward brutish person

Question 59

lubricious

Answer 59

marked by wantonness; lecherous; also, salacious having a smooth or slippery quality e.g. back in the days when lubricious employers could, with impunity, take advantage of naive factory girls a lubricious skin

Question 60

lucre

Answer 60

monetary gain; profit

Question 61

luscious

Answer 61

having a delicious taste or smell; sweet | sexually attractive; seductive, sexy

Question 62

lusty

Answer 62

full of strength and energy e.g. a young, lusty, growing country a lusty spirit of adventure

Question 63

lynch

Answer 63

to put to death by mob action without legal sanction

Question 64

mackintosh

Answer 64

raincoat | a lightweight waterproof fabric originally of rubberized cotton

Question 65

maestro

Answer 65

a master usually in art; especially, an eminent composer, conductor, or teacher of music

Question 66

magniloquent

Answer 66

speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style or manner e.g. magniloquent boasts

Question 67

malefactor

Answer 67

one who commits an offense against the law; especially, felon one who does ill toward another

Question 68

malodor

Answer 68

an offensive odor

Question 69

manacle

Answer 69

handcuff something used as a restraint e.g. The warring groups need to shake off the manacle of their troubled past and learn to live with one another in peace.

Question 70

mangy

Answer 70

(of an animal) having a skin disease that causes itching and loss of hair; suffering from mange having many worn or bare spots seedy, shabby e.g. a mangy old car covered in rust

Question 71

maraud

Answer 71

to roam about and raid in search of plunder raid, pillage e.g. Just for kicks, bored teenagers marauded neighborhood houses while their owners were away.